


Take My Hand

by Avistella



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 15:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15318711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: Akira helps you find solace from your toxic household.





	Take My Hand

Akira’s eyes glance towards the door at the sound of the chiming bell that signals a patron’s arrival, and his eyebrows furrow together when you come into view. Your eyes are staring hard at the floor, but the redness and puffiness of them don’t miss the barista’s keen observation. He inwardly winces as you make your way over to the bar in a sluggish motion, your feet dragging along the floor.

There’s little grace in your movements as you pull out a chair and flop down on it, your gaze remaining downcast and away from view. “The usual,” you order, your voice coming out scratchy and rough like you’ve been crying for a while before you try to clear your throat.

Akira says nothing, but his heart aches for you whenever you come to the café in this state. It’s sort of become your sanctuary, and he doesn’t know how to feel about that. No other words are exchanged between you two as the young student whips up your usual order, the details of your preferences memorized like he knows the back of his hand.

The sounds of the TV and coffee machines are the only things to fill the room. It’s a slower day than normal, and there are no other customers in the café which is probably why there’s such a tense and heavy atmosphere hanging over you two. It’s almost as if the pair of you have something to say but are waiting for the other to speak first.

From the corner of your eyes, you see the cat that Akira is caring for, Morgana, jump onto the smooth surface of the bar. His little paws pad across to where you are, nuzzling his soft head against your arm. It was like he was trying to comfort you, and it draws out a small smile from your lips. You exhale a quiet sigh of both relief and fatigue as you lightly scratch underneath the feline’s chin in gratitude, Morgana purring softly in satisfaction as his eyes flutter shut at the sensation.

The entire time, Akira watches the easygoing interaction, wiping his hands on the apron hanging around his neck. There’s a small hint of joy behind his eyes at how friendly you and Morgana are, but there are more important things to focus on, and the young man moves to stand in front of you from across the bar, garnering your attention.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Although his voice has a certain sharpness to it, his tone is soft and caring. It’s hard to believe that this same guy had a criminal record on him, even though you’ve already discovered from the young man himself that it was passed down by the system unfairly. You close your eyes to control the emotions swelling inside you from his considerate kindness as you shake your head in refusal.

He doesn’t prod you any further, but his gaze remains steady on your form as you stare at the cup of coffee in front of you. Your index finger traces the rim of the cup in a mindless circle while the fingers on your other hand tap against the surface on the side of it. The silence does little to help, your thoughts going back to the previous conversation you had in your household—the place you’re _supposed_ to feel safe in—before you ran off to Café Leblanc to compose yourself.

“…Do you think I’m useless?”

Your question hangs heavily in the air, your voice wavering as you struggled to force the words out of your throat. You swallow back a quiet sob as you fear the young man’s answer, already anticipating what his response might be. After all, if the people you lived with your entire life constantly told you that you were useless amongst other things, then surely everybody else who knew you would think the same. But nevertheless, a part you wishes that somebody you care about would tell you otherwise.

Akira frowns. “No,” he answers firmly, and he watches your eyes slowly widen with surprise. “I don’t think so at all.”

He sounds so resolute on his answer, it almost feels like it’s stabbing you in the heart. You can’t tell if it’s a good or bad kind of pain because it wasn’t the response you were expecting, and the sheer surprise of it causes something within you to break. A strangled choke of a sob manages to slip past your quivering lips just as your shoulders start to tremble.

It isn’t long before you’re outright crying in the quaint café you’ve grown to love more than home. The tears won’t stop falling, and the only sounds that leave your mouth are sobs, whimpers, and hiccups as you try to gain control of your emotions again but to no avail. You shakily bring your hands up to hide and bury your face, muffling your pitiful cries.

Morgana peers up at you with worried eyes, mewing softly in sympathy while Akira moves to leave his side of the bar and go to where you are instead. He opens his arms and holds you in a side embrace. The warmth and comfort is reassuring, and you lean closer towards his chest but still unable to pry your hands away from your face. The barista’s fingers gently comb through your hair as he waits for you.

You’re not sure how long the two of you stayed like that, but you eventually start to calm down. You take in several deep breaths to gain your bearings once more, and before you can apologize or thank the young man, the door to the café opens with a simple chime of the attached bell. You turn your head to look at who it is, your red eyes widening by a fraction when they land upon Sojiro’s form.

The older male quirks an eyebrow at the scene in front of him when you realize your current situation. With a quiet gasp, you pull yourself away from Akira, and you lower your head to stare at the floor in embarrassment. Even though you haven’t finished drinking your beverage yet, you excuse yourself with a murmur and practically dash out of the establishment with both Akira’s and Sojiro’s eyes watching your retreating figure.

The café’s owner directs his attention towards the high school student, crossing his arms over his chest. Although his tone is stern, there’s a hint of understanding in it as well. “Care to tell me what that was about?”

Akira hesitates. It’s not really his place to divulge the information of your personal situation when you had struggled to even tell him about it, but he wants to help you. He wants to help you in any possible way, but there’s only so much that a mere high school student such as himself can do. He had already tried to see if he could get a hit with the Nav app, but nothing came up. Perhaps some things couldn’t be solved that simply with a change of heart.

Left with no other choice, Akira explains everything to Sojiro before asking if you could live in the café until your situation can improve. He’s straightforward and blunt with his explanation, leaving out any kind of emotional, personal comments; Sojiro doesn’t need those things to get a solid grasp on the matters at hand and the gravity of things. The Leblanc owner nods his head in understanding and sighs. He buries his hands into his pockets and shakes his head.

“These kinds of things are delicate,” he says, his eyebrows scrunched together with his lips tugged into a troubled frown. “There’s a certain process to these things, and your friend is still underage, right?”

“ _Please_ ,” Akira begs, bowing down as deeply as he can. “I’ll do more work around the café. I’ll run errands for you without complaints too, so please!” 

If he has to prostrate himself, then so be it, but there isn’t anyone else the young man can turn to. He can’t trust any other adults, especially since they all look at him with disdain due to his criminal record, and the adults that he _can_ trust don’t have that deep of a relationship with him as he does with Sojiro.

Sojiro exhales another deep sigh as he scratches the back of his head. He’s never seen Akira this desperate before, and he can’t find it in his heart to deny the student’s request now that he better knows what kind of person the raven-haired male truly is. He also suspects that the feelings Akira has for you go far beyond friendship, and Sojiro sympathizes in a way. Similar to Akira, the man himself can’t just bring himself to sit back while somebody else is suffering in front of him.

“Fine, but you’re responsible for whatever happens next.”

Akira inhales sharply when he hears those words, and the young man bows even lower in sheer gratitude. “Yes, thank you!”

The high school student wastes no time at all, pulling his apron over his head and throwing it to rest on one of the booth seats before running out the door to catch up to you. He looks around the area, hoping you haven’t gone too far ahead. He catches sight of your figure crouched on the ground beside a nearby vending machine. A sigh of relief slips by his lips before making his way over to you with slow but purposeful steps.

Akira doesn’t say anything at first. Instead, he leans against the vending machine and buries his hands into his pockets, giving you some quiet time to collect your thoughts while he stares at nothing in particular. He spares you a glance from the corner of his eyes, his expression becoming soft when he sees your face hiding between your knees.

He takes out a hand and places it on top of your head, giving it a gentle pat. “I got permission to let you stay in Leblanc,” he tells you, getting straight to the point. “I think it’d be a good idea if you stayed away from home.”

“I can’t do that… You know I can’t do that.” It’s not a matter of whether or not you’re physically capable, but rather, you simply lack the courage.

“I’ll be there for you the entire time,” Akira reminds you. “You can rely on me.”

He extends his hand out for you to take, and you hesitate. There can be consequences if you accept his help, but isn’t the risk worth it if it means you can start living in a place where you can feel safe, accepted, and loved? Swallowing back your fears, you give a shaky nod of your head and accept his invitation.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find more of my works on [my Tumblr](http://avistella.tumblr.com/)


End file.
